Editing Soap opera (section)

===The primetime serial===
Serials produced for prime time slots have also found success. The first prime time soap opera was ''[[Faraway Hill]]'' (1946), which aired on October 2, 1946, on the now-defunct [[DuMont Television Network]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dumonthistory.com/a1.html|title=DuMont Television Network – Historical Web Site|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-date=14 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214212348/http://www.dumonthistory.com/a1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Faraway Hill'' ran for 12 episodes and was primarily broadcast live, interspersed with short pre-recorded film clips and still photos to remind the audience of the previous week's episode.

The first long-running prime time soap opera was ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]'' (1964–1969) on ABC. It was based in part on the [[Peyton Place (film)|eponymous 1957 film]] (which, in turn, was based on the 1956 [[Peyton Place (novel)|novel]]).

The popularity of ''Peyton Place'' prompted the CBS network to spin off popular ''As the World Turns'' character [[Lisa Miller Grimaldi|Lisa Miller]] into her own evening soap opera, ''[[Our Private World]]'' (originally titled "The Woman Lisa" in its planning stages). ''Our Private World'' was broadcast from May to September 1965. The character of Lisa (and her portrayer [[Eileen Fulton]]) returned to ''As The World Turns'' after the series ended.

The structure of ''Peyton Place'', with its episodic plots and long-running story arcs, set the mold for the prime time serials of the 1980s, when the format reached its pinnacle.

The successful prime time serials of the 1980s included ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'', its spin-off ''[[Knots Landing]]'', ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'', and ''[[Falcon Crest]]''. These shows frequently dealt with wealthy families, and their personal and big-business travails. Common characteristics were sumptuous sets and costumes, complex storylines examining business schemes and intrigue, and spectacular disaster cliffhanger situations. Each of these series featured a wealthy, domineering, [[promiscuous]], and passionate [[antagonist]] as a key character in the storyline – respectively, [[J. R. Ewing]] ([[Larry Hagman]]), [[Abby Cunningham]] ([[Donna Mills]]), [[Alexis Colby]] ([[Joan Collins]]), and [[Angela Channing]] ([[Jane Wyman]]). These villainous schemers became immensely popular figures that audiences "loved to hate".

Unlike daytime serials, which are shot on video in a studio using the multi-camera setup, these evening series were shot on film using a [[single camera setup]], and featured substantial location-shot footage, often in picturesque locales. ''Dallas'', its spin-off ''Knots Landing'', and ''Falcon Crest'' all initially featured episodes with self-contained stories and specific guest stars who appeared in just that episode. Each story was completely resolved by the end of the episode, and there were no end-of-episode cliffhangers. After the first couple of seasons, all three shows changed their story format to that of a pure soap opera, with interwoven ongoing narratives that ran over several episodes. ''Dynasty'' featured this format throughout its run.

The soap opera's distinctive open plot structure and complex continuity was increasingly incorporated into American prime time television programs of the period. The first significant drama series to do this was ''[[Hill Street Blues]]''. This series, produced by [[Steven Bochco]], featured many elements borrowed from soap operas, such as an [[ensemble cast]], multi-episode storylines, and extensive character development over the course of the series. It and the later ''[[Cagney & Lacey]]'' overlaid the police series formula with ongoing narratives exploring the personal lives and interpersonal relationships of the regular characters.<ref>Bowles, p. 123.</ref> The success of these series prompted other drama series, such as ''[[St. Elsewhere]]'' and situation comedy series, to incorporate serialized stories and story structure to varying degrees.

The prime-time soap operas and drama series of the 1990s and 2000s, such as ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'', ''[[Melrose Place]]'', ''[[Party of Five]]'', ''[[The O.C.]]'', and ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'', focused more on younger characters. In the 2000s, ABC began to revitalize the prime time soap opera format with shows such as ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', ''[[Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series)|Brothers & Sisters]]'', ''[[Ugly Betty]]'', ''[[Private Practice (TV series)|Private Practice]]'', and more recently ''[[Revenge (TV series)|Revenge]]'', ''[[Nashville (2012 TV series)|Nashville]]'', ''[[Scandal (American TV series)|Scandal]]'', ''[[Mistresses (American TV series)|Mistresses]]'', and formerly ''[[Ringer (TV series)|Ringer]]'', which its sister production company [[ABC Signature|ABC Studios]] co-produced with [[CBS Studios|CBS Television Studios]] for [[The CW]]. While not soaps in the traditional sense, these shows managed to appeal to wide audiences with their high drama mixed with humor, and are soap operas by definition. These successes led to NBC's launching serials, including ''[[Heroes (American TV series)|Heroes]]'' and ''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} The upstart MyNetworkTV, a sister network of Fox, launched a line of prime time telenovelas (a genre similar to soap operas in terms of content) upon its launch in September 2006, but discontinued its use of the format in August 2007 after disappointing ratings.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

On June 13, 2012, ''[[Dallas (2012 TV series)|Dallas]]'', a continuation of the [[Dallas (TV series)|1978 original series]] premiered on the cable network, [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]]. The revived series, which was canceled after three seasons in 2014, delivered solid ratings for the channel, only losing viewership after the show's most established star, [[Larry Hagman]], died midway through the series. In 2012, [[Nick at Nite]] debuted a primetime soap opera, ''[[Hollywood Heights (TV series)|Hollywood Heights]]'', which aired episodes five nights a week (on Monday through Fridays) in a manner similar to a daytime soap opera, instead of the once-a-week episode output common of other prime time soaps. The series, which was an adaptation of the Mexican telenovela ''[[Alcanzar una estrella]]'', suffered from low ratings (generally receiving less than 1&nbsp;million viewers) and was later moved to sister cable channel [[TeenNick]] halfway through its run to [[Burning off|burn off]] the remaining episodes.

In 2015, Fox debuted ''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]'', a prime time musical serial centering on the power struggle between family members within the titular recording company. Created by [[Lee Daniels]] and [[Danny Strong]] and led by [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominees [[Terrence Howard]] and [[Taraji P. Henson]], the drama premiered to high ratings. The show is strongly influenced by other works such as [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[King Lear]]'', [[James Goldman]]'s ''[[The Lion in Winter]]'' and the 1980s soap opera ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''. Also in 2015, [[E!]] introduced ''[[The Royals (TV series)|The Royals]]'', a series following the life and drama of a fictional English Royal family, which was also inspired by ''Dynasty'' (even featuring [[Joan Collins]] as the Queen's mother). In addition, ABC debuted a prime time soap opera ''[[Blood & Oil]]'', following a young couple looking to make money off the modern-day [[Williston, North Dakota|Williston]] oil boom, premiering on September 27, 2015.

====List of primetime serials====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Soap
! Network
! Premiere 
! Finale
! Number of seasons
! Number of episodes
|-
|''[[2000 Malibu Road]]''
|CBS
|August 23, 1992
|September 9, 1992
|1
|6
|-
|''[[90210 (TV series)|90210]]''
|The CW
|September 2, 2008
|May 13, 2013
|5
|114<br />([[List of 90210 episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[American Heiress]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|March 13, 2007
|July 18, 2007
|1
|65<br />([[List of American Heiress episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Army Wives]]''
|Lifetime
|June 3, 2007
|June 9, 2013
|7
|117<br />([[List of Army Wives episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Bare Essence]]''
|NBC
|February 15, 1983
|June 13, 1983
|1
|11
|-
|''[[Beacon Hill (TV series)|Beacon Hill]]''
|CBS
|August 25, 1975
|November 4, 1975
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Berrenger's]]''
|NBC
|January 1, 1985
|March 16, 1985
|1
|12
|-
|''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''
|Fox
|October 4, 1990
|May 17, 2000
|10
|293<br />([[List of Beverly Hills, 90210 episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Blood & Oil]]''
|ABC
|September 27, 2015
|December 13, 2015
|1
|10<br />([[Blood & Oil#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series)|Brothers & Sisters]]''
|ABC
|September 24, 2006
|May 8, 2011
|5
|109<br />[[List of Brothers & Sisters episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Central Park West (TV series)|Central Park West]]''
|CBS
|September 13, 1995
|June 28, 1996
|2
|21<br>([[Central Park West (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' <small>(1978)</small>
|CBS
|April 2, 1978
|May 3, 1991
|14
|357<br />([[List of Dallas (1978 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dallas (2012 TV series)|Dallas]]'' <small>(2012)</small>
|TNT
|June 13, 2012
|September 22, 2014
|3
|40<br />([[List of Dallas (2012 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)|Dark Shadows]]'' <small>(1991)</small>
|NBC
|January 13, 1991
|March 22, 1991
|1
|12<br>([[Dark Shadows (1991 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dawson's Creek]]''
|The WB
|January 20, 1998
|May 14, 2003
|6
|128<br />([[List of Dawson's Creek episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Deception (2013 American TV series)|Deception]]''
|NBC
|January 7, 2013
|March 18, 2013
|1
|11<br>([[Deception (2013 American TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Desire (TV series)|Desire]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|September 5, 2006
|December 5, 2006
|1
|65<br />([[List of Desire episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Desperate Housewives]]''
|ABC
|October 3, 2004
|May 13, 2012
|8
|180<br />([[List of Desperate Housewives episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Devious Maids]]''
|Lifetime
|June 23, 2013
|August 8, 2016
|4
|49<br />([[List of Devious Maids episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' <small>(1981)</small>
|ABC
|January 12, 1981
|May 11, 1989
|9
|220<br />([[List of Dynasty (1981 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Dynasty (2017 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' <small>(2017)</small>
|The CW
|October 11, 2017
|September 16, 2022

|5
|108<br />([[List of Dynasty (2017 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]''
|Fox
|January 7, 2015
|April 21, 2020
|6
|97<br />([[List of Empire episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Falcon Crest]]''
|CBS
|December 4, 1981
|May 17, 1990
|9
|227<br />([[List of Falcon Crest episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Faraway Hill]]''
|Dumont Television Network
|October 2, 1946
|December 18, 1946
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|''[[Fashion House]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|September 5, 2006
|December 5, 2006
|1
|65<br />([[List of Fashion House episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Flamingo Road (TV series)|Flamingo Road]]''
|NBC
|May 12, 1980
|May 4, 1982
|2
|38<br />([[List of Flamingo Road episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Filthy Rich (2020 TV series)|Filthy Rich]]''
|Fox
|September 21, 2020
|November 30, 2020
|1
|10<br />([[Filthy Rich (2020 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]''
|NBC
|October 3, 2006
|February 9, 2011
|5
|76<br />([[List of Friday Night Lights episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[GCB (TV series)|GCB]]''
|ABC
|March 4, 2012
|May 6, 2012
|1
|10<br />([[GCB (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Glitter (American TV series)|Glitter]]''
|ABC
|September 13, 1984
|December 25, 1984
|1
|14
|-
|''[[Gossip Girl]]''
|The CW
|September 19, 2007
|December 17, 2012
|6
|121<br />([[List of Gossip Girl episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Grand Hotel (TV series)|Grand Hotel]]''
|ABC
|June 17, 2019
|September 9, 2019
|1
|13<br />([[Grand Hotel (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Grey's Anatomy]]''
|ABC
|March 27, 2005
|''Ongoing''
|20
|421<br />([[List of Grey's Anatomy episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Harold Robbins' The Survivors]]''
|ABC
|September 22, 1969
|September 17, 1970
|1
|15<br>([[Harold Robbins' The Survivors#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Hollywood Heights (TV series)|Hollywood Heights]]''
|Nick at Nite/TeenNick
|June 18, 2012
|October 5, 2012
|1
|80<br />[[List of Hollywood Heights episodes|List of episodes]]
|-
|''[[If Loving You Is Wrong]]''
|Oprah Winfrey Network
|September 9, 2014
|June 16, 2020
|5
|102<br>([[List of If Loving You Is Wrong episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[King's Crossing]]''
|ABC
|January 16, 1982
|February 7, 1982
|1
|10
|-
|''[[Knots Landing]]''
|CBS
|December 29, 1979
|May 13, 1993
|14
|344<br />([[List of Knots Landing episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Malibu Shores]]''
|NBC
|March 9, 1996
|June 1, 1996
|1
|10
|-
|''[[Melrose Place]]'' <small>(1992)</small>
|Fox
|July 8, 1992
|May 24, 1999
|7
|226<br />([[List of Melrose Place episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Melrose Place (2009 TV series)|Melrose Place]]'' <small>(2009)</small>
|The CW
|September 8, 2009
|April 13, 2010
|1
|18<br />([[Melrose Place (2009 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[A Million Little Things]]''
|ABC
|September 26, 2018
|May 3, 2023
|5
|87<br />
|-
|''[[Mistresses (American TV series)|Mistresses]]''
|ABC
|June 3, 2013
|September 6, 2016
|4
|52<br />([[List of Mistresses (American TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Models Inc.]]''
|Fox
|June 29, 1994
|March 6, 1995
|1
|29
|-
|''[[Monarch (American TV series)|Monarch]]''
|Fox
|September 11, 2022
|December 6, 2022
|1
|11
|-
|''[[Nashville (2012 TV series)|Nashville]]''
|ABC/CMT
|October 10, 2012
|July 26, 2018
|6
|124<br />([[List of Nashville episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[North Shore (2004 TV series)|North Shore]]''
|Fox
|June 14, 2004
|January 13, 2005
|1
|21
|-
|''[[Our Private World]]''
|CBS
|May 5, 1965
|September 10, 1965
|1
|38
|-
|''[[Our Kind of People]]''
|Fox
|September 21, 2021
|January 25, 2022
|1
|12
|-
|''[[Pacific Palisades (TV series)|Pacific Palisades]]''
|Fox
|April 9, 1997
|July 30, 1997
|1
|13<br>([[Pacific Palisades (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Paper Dolls]]''
|ABC
|September 23, 1984
|December 25, 1984
|1
|14
|-
|''[[Party of Five]]''
|Fox
|September 12, 1994
|May 3, 2000
|6
|142<br />([[List of Party of Five episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Pasadena (TV series)|Pasadena]]''
|Fox
|September 28, 2001
|November 2, 2001
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]''
|ABC
|September 15, 1964
|June 2, 1969
|5
|514
|-
|''[[Private Practice (TV series)|Private Practice]]''
|ABC
|September 26, 2007
|January 22, 2013
|6
|111<br />([[List of Private Practice episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Queens (American TV series)|Queens]]''
|ABC
|October 19, 2021
|February 15, 2022
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Push (American TV series)|Push]]''
|ABC
|April 6, 1998
|August 6, 1998
|1
|8
|-
|''[[Revenge (TV series)|Revenge]]''
|ABC
|September 21, 2011
|May 15, 2015
|4
|89<br />([[List of Revenge episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Ringer (TV series)|Ringer]]''
|The CW
|September 13, 2011
|April 17, 2012
|1
|22<br />([[Ringer (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Riverdale (American TV series)|Riverdale]]''
|The CW
|January 26, 2017
|August 23, 2023
|7
|137<br />([[List of Riverdale episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Saints & Sinners (2007 TV series)|Saints & Sinners]]'' <small>(2007)</small>
|MyNetworkTV
|March 14, 2007
|July 18, 2007
|1
|65<br />([[List of Saints & Sinners (2007 TV series) episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Saints & Sinners (2016 TV series)|Saints & Sinners]]'' <small>(2016)</small>
|Bounce TV
|March 6, 2016
|May 22, 2022
|6
|49<br>([[Saints & Sinners (2016 TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Savannah (TV series)|Savannah]]''
|The WB
|January 21, 1996
|February 24, 1997
|2
|34<br>([[Savannah (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Scandal (American TV series)|Scandal]]''
|ABC
|April 5, 2012
|April 19, 2018
|7
|124<br />([[List of Scandal episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Secrets of Midland Heights]]''
|CBS
|December 6, 1980
|January 24, 1981
|1
|8
|-
|''[[Star (TV series)|Star]]''
|Fox
|December 14, 2016
|May 8, 2019
|3
|48<br />([[List of Star episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Catlins (TV series)|The Catlins]]''
|Superstation TBS
|April 1, 1983
|May 31, 1985
|N/A
|555
|-
|''[[The Colbys]]''
|ABC
|November 20, 1985
|March 26, 1987
|2
|49<br />([[List of The Colbys episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Hamptons (TV series)|The Hamptons]]''
|ABC
|July 27, 1983
|August 24, 1983
|1
|5
|-
|[[The Haves and the Have Nots (TV series)|''The Haves and Have Nots'']]
|OWN
|May 23, 2013
|July 20, 2021
|8
|196 ([[List of The Haves and the Have Nots episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Monroes (1995 TV series)|The Monroes]]''
|ABC
|September 12, 1995
|October 19, 1995
|1
|13
|-
|''[[The O.C.]]''
|Fox
|August 5, 2003
|February 22, 2007
|4
|92<br />([[List of The O.C. episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Oval (TV series)|The Oval]]''
|BET
|October 23, 2019
|''Ongoing''
|1
|113<br>([[The Oval (TV series)#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Round Table (TV series)|The Round Table]]''
|NBC
|September 18, 1992
|October 16, 1992
|1
|9
|-
|''[[The Royals (TV series)|The Royals]]''
|E!
|March 15, 2015
|May 13, 2018
|4
|40<br />([[List of The Royals episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[The Yellow Rose]]''
|NBC
|October 2, 1983
|May 12, 1984
|1
|22<br />([[The Yellow Rose#Episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[This Is Us]]'' 
|NBC
|September 20, 2016
|May 24, 2022
|6
|106<br />([[List of This Is Us episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[Titans (2000 TV series)|Titans]]''
|NBC
|October 4, 2000
|December 18, 2000
|1
|13
|-
|''[[Watch Over Me]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|December 6, 2006
|March 6, 2007
|1
|66<br />([[List of Watch Over Me episodes|List of episodes]])
|-
|''[[W.E.B.]]''
|NBC
|September 13, 1978
|October 5, 1978
|1
|5
|-
|''[[Wicked Wicked Games]]''
|MyNetworkTV
|December 6, 2006
|March 6, 2007
|1
|66<br />([[List of Wicked Wicked Games episodes|List of episodes]])
|}